Thursday, May 27, 2010

Are you searching for different recipes to prepare for your family meals today! Look no further thanGiddy Gastronome. I’m elated, I found a good friend, in meeting Nazarina, owner and founder of Giddy Gastronome.com . We met through our love of homemade ethnic food, and our deep love for animals. Both of us have a profound respect for the women in our families, who have passed down generations of great recipes. We take family recipes and add our own twists to make them even greater!! Nazarina takes her recipes to a whole other level, with her stunning presentations of her masterpiece food creations.

Not only can Nazarina whip up an ultimate meal, she creates handmade soaps, sews, and speaks African fluently. Using only the finest and natural ingredients in both her recipes and wonderful soaps, Nazarina will enlighten your day with her humorous, skilled dialogue posts!!

Curious to know more about this sensational multi talented young woman, here is my interview with my special friend Giddy Gastronome herself.

Where were you born and what is your ethnic background? How does your background tie in with your unique tasting recipes?

I am of Malaysian descent and born in South Africa. My parents emigrated to Miami and this is where I attended college and made the best friendships! My Grandmother owned a pastry shop in South Africa, so we were practically raised in the bakery, surrounded by all kinds of good confections and the best culinary dishes to boot! However, my mother broke away and decided to study fashion designing, but still had to put in her time at the bakery. She would always say that she felt extremely blessed to have been enriched by both the fashion and the culinary worlds. I shall always be grateful to both her and my Grandmother for engaging us in all of their endeavors. It is this “creative metamorphosis” if you will, that has given me the insight in all that I do! Their mantra was that almost anything can be accomplished by commitment, diligence and with a “big fat smile on your face.”

Where did you come up with the name Giddy Gastronome!

I have a truly jovial & vivid personality and can sometimes be very naïve …..thus “giddy”, ( people always say that I am the life of the party), but on the other hand very anal about my food source. I care very much where I buy my ingredients and particularly love all of it organic and locally grown. I would rather resist the temptation of buying a sixty dollar pair of shoes, only to splurge on the very best organic ingredients! I love for flavors to explode in a dish and I care very much about the presentation. What can I say, I love to cook and entertain! Beside my passionate love affair with the culinary realm and people, I have a soft spot for destitute animals, that is why I fell in love with your blog!” I think the world of you!!!”

Do you have a favorite recipe?

I do not have a favorite recipe except maybe for my handmade roasted garlic & fennel spicy kosher beef sausage which I make twice a year from scratch. It is very time-consuming! Someone in Miami wanted this recipe for their butcher shop but my sister advised me against the idea at that time and prompted me to include the recipe in my cook book.

Last but not least, I can’t wait for Nazarina’s book to come out!! Don’t forget to check out the wonderful and taste tempting recipes already featured on Giddy Gastronome too!! As one of Nazarina’s biggest fans, and I’ll be sure to feature her new cookbook here on Literally in the Moment the minute it’s off the press!! As always stay tuned to Literally In The Moment.

I heard there's a cook book in progress, what will you be featuring in your new book?

My cook book is still a work in progress and quite a labor of love. This is almost the hardest endeavor I have attempted! This book will include pictures , step by step instructions of food and desserts, my secret tips and tricks, personal stories, ( most of them…funny), and poetry. I want the reader to experience hospitality like they would if they were in my home! My Grandmother and Mother really never did something like this,( though people will never forget their creativity), so therefore I feel the need to do so. I have so many recipes from them written down in their handwriting , so the prudent thing to do is to document them in a cook book and in a way share their legacy with everyone!

How did you get into the art of making handmade soaps?

I started the soap-making endeavor about three years ago. I would make them and give them away as gifts until a friend in Miami ordered 70 bars for a bridal shower. Now people, I hardly even know, orders them from my blog and by referrals. I love making them for people! The pictures that I attached below are two of the more detailed ones I make!

Chocolate and raspberry cupcake soap.

Speed boat, polo fragrance.

Notice all the delicate details and time Nazarina puts into her art of her handmade soaps. I was the lucky winner of Nazarina’s Spa Basket giveaway for April. From experience I love her goats milk and honey soap. I use it on my face everyday, it never dries my skin and leaves it feeling soft and toned!!! I highly recommend her soap especially if you have drier skin! You’ll be amazed at the aroma of Nazarina’s lily of the valley soap, you simply must try them all!! You’ll find many different soap designs, and great soap fragrances featured on Giddy Gastronome! Don’t forget you can order these gorgeous soaps, to add a classic touch to any holiday or any special party occasion.

Lastly but not least, I can’t wait for Nazarina’s cookbook to come out!! Don’t forget to check out the wonderful and taste tempting recipes already featured on Giddy Gastronome too!! As one of Nazarina’s biggest fans, I’ll be sure to feature her new cookbook here on Literally in the Moment the minute it’s off the press!! As always stay tuned to Literally In The Moment.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Mother nature like many women cannot make up her mind! In the 80's yesterday and in the 50's today! Typical crazy Pennsylvania weather. I took this twilight shot right out my front door, the first part of February. We had rain, and temps dipped way down to zero, and the rain froze during the day covered by a light snow! One of my favorite shots with the sun in the backround! We're close to freezing tonight!!

Talking about Mothers, Mother's Day is bittersweet for me, because my mother passed four years ago. I've many great memories of her, filling our home with great cooking smells. It was my mom who made our house a home. Her mere presence always brang a smile into our lives and always will. Her talents and love were unprecedented and irreplaceable. To say I miss her would be an understatement. The years haven't been the same without her, and I can say my life hasn't been the same either.

Yet life truly goes on and all mom desired most was for her family to be happy. Holidays seem to be the hardest to celebrate, even years later. It's almost if I miss her more the longer she's been gone! If you're lucky enough to have your mother, treasure her for every moment that you have. People say it, yet few realize how short our time here on this lovely earth is. Embrace life with every breath, and never regret a moment you have together loving each other. Memories are everything, never cease making them.. Lastly never stop taking photos. You don't know when our loved ones will make their final exit far into the twilight.

Max Lab/Shepherd Mix~ St Clairsville, OH~ Adopted 2-5-11

About Me

I'm an online network correspondent for urgent animals, and have helped to find rescue for many dogs pictured on my blog! Getting their stories out there, and saving their lives is extremely gratifying to my soul!
A woman possessing many passions. I wake everyday and find thousands of reasons to stay firmly planted on this awesome earth. Life's beauty captivates my photography, and my love for poetry and writing has followed me since my teens!
A hopeless romantic, dreamer, rebel, nature enthusiast, stargazer, and ardent advocate for any cause I've a passion for. Crusading for a day in which violent hate crimes, child abuse, and animal abuse are eradicated from the world forever! Blog writing is a newfound gateway to document my everyday life, using my writing and photography to speak for the innocent and feature stories which are close to my heart. A published Poet, freelance writer, photographer, network correspondent for urgent animals, animal advocate, and consumer advocate. I've been a member of "The PEN," The Poetry Explosion Newsletter ~ The Poet Band Company of Pittsburgh since 2002. My blog is an extention of my life inspiring writing and photography passions.

Pages

Eldad Hagar Rescues Chase On Her Day To Be Euthanized! Amazing Video Of Dog Behavioural Awareness!

I had the pleasure of coming in contact with Eldad Hagar through facebook and through all of our animal related posts and contacts. Eldad appears in this and other videos rescueing dogs who are to be euthanized. Most of these dogs are abused and terribly afraid of human contact. All the dogs need is alittle love and to be able to trust again, most importantly a second chance! Eldad Hagar is their only chance, and he's the founder of Hope for Paws a rescue for homeless, abused, and injured animals in the Los Angeles, California Area! I stand in awe of his work, and I'm inspired by Chase and Eldad to feature more awareness for the animal shelter cause, especially for dogs on death row. Chase is awaiting a new home!

Virginia~ ADOPTED ~ Houndog Yellow Lab Mix, Elizabethtown, N. C.

Virginia was sponsored and has finally beeen Adopted! Yipeee!!

Tiger Ranch Cats Up For Adoption Here!

Adopt one of these beautiful cats today! Click photo for Tails Wags N' At website!

Favorite Writer Quotes

whatever it meansit mattersand most of it is trueI loved every one of themand all of them...were you.~Merrit Malloy

Be the change you wishto see in the world.~Mahandas GhandiLive as if you were to die tomorrow.Learn as if you were to live forever.~Mahandas GhandiThe gospel of Thomas: “Jesus said... the Kingdom of God is inside you, and all around you, not in mansions of wood and stone. Split a piece of wood... and I am there, lift a stone... and you will find me.”~From the movie Stigmata~